Today's Quilter - UK (2019-07)

4848

DESIGNER PROFILElemma bridgewater

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Stoke-on-Trentafterattendingthefinalmeeting

of theTalkingQuiltsProjectCommittee.

ProjectManager,VickyMartin,whois based

inStaordshire,suggestedthatweholdthis

significantmeetingat theMiddleportPottery

inStaord,hometoBurleighPotterieswhose

legacydatesbackto1851.Vickyhadcometowork

withusaftercompletinganoralhistoryproject

recording 300 potteryworkersstories,fromsmall

family-runfirmstolargewell-knownfactories.

Herpassionforpreservingtheheritageof this

centuriesoldindustrywasa perfectmatchfor

ourquiltproject.AsI walkedthroughtheEmma

Bridgewatershoplaterthatday,I wasverymuch

awareof howimportantthedecisiontobasetheir

factoryinStoke-on-Trentwas,whencommercial

factorsmighteasilyhaveledthemoverseas.Seeing

thefullrangeof theeponymoussponge-painted

designsoncreamywhitepotterywasa feastforthe

eyesand,withinthisfrieze of colourandpattern,

I spiedsomefamiliar

designs– Grandmother’s

FlowerGarden,blue

patchworkbeddingand

rowsof pinkmotifsthat

echoedprettycross-

stitchedsamplers.

Thisyear,whenI hadthechancetochatto

Emma,I wasdelightedtofindthatat theendof a

day,shelikesnothingmorethantocurlupunder

a quiltwithherwickerwork basket and a bundle of

scrapscloseat hand.

Her experiences of sewing will strike a chord

inthegenerationwhogrewupduringthetime

of thequiltrevivalinthe1970s– Singersewing

machines,HomeEconomicsprojects(someless

successfulthanothers!),andLauraAshleyprints.

Quiltshavealways

beenpartof herstory.

Herbeddingrange,

‘Wallflowers’,featuring

theGrandmother’s

FlowerGardendesign,

wasinspiredbyherGranny’slargepatchwork

quiltwhich,sherecallsinhermemoir,Toast&

Marmalade, rustledundertheweightof writing

paperthatsheusedforpaperpiecing.She

describesherasa “topstitcher”,notingthat“she

wasprobablynotunusuallyaccomplishedfor

her generation, but for me these were towering

Emma’s

quintessentially

Britishdesigns

area staplepart

ofthecountry

kitchenstyle

manyofus

aresofondof.

Crockerythat

is treasuredin

everywayboth

in useandon

display

Aboveleft,

Pattern– a

detailedaccount

ofthestories

andinspirations

behindEmma’s

classicdesigns

thatweknowand

lovetoday

Aboveright,

Emma’s

memoir,Toast&

Marmaladeand

OtherStories,

featuresbeautiful

photographs,

personal

recollections

andthestory

oftheEmma

Bridgewater

brand

“There’sthatintangible

connectiontoitemsthatare

handmade that we can relateto”